I also fell victim to visiting 'con artist'

PEOPLE beware: If a man knocks on your door claiming to be an artist and asking for money and photos so he can "paint a portrait" of your children, a blown-up framed photograph could be all you end up with.

PEOPLE beware: If a man knocks on your door claiming to be an artist and asking for money and photos so he can "paint a portrait" of your children, a blown-up framed photograph could be all you end up with.

And that's if you're lucky enough to get anything at all.

Debbie Black, from Hope Close, in Keresley, Coventry, forked out £65 for the picture of her two-year-old daughter Penny Lee after an "artist" knocked at her door offering his services.

And Miss Black, aged 32, says the only reason she got any picture was because she managed to find out where the man lived and confronted him.

The Keresley mum is one of many who have contacted the Evening Telegraph after we first warned readers of a bogus artist doing the rounds earlier in November.

The man reportedly knocks on doors and claims to be an art student at Warwick University.

He then takes money and photographs and leaves an uncontactable phone number, in most cases never to be heard from again.

Miss Black is still furious at the deception but can see a funny side.

She said: "I paid £65 for a photograph. Classic isn't it? It's supposed to be a hand painted portrait but look at it. "The original photo had red eyes and he's even left those in."

Miss Black claims it was easy to be fooled by the struggling artist story: "If you saw him you would believe him. He looks like a man who sits and paints pictures all day.

"He did seem very legitimate."

Nichala Burdett, aged 23, from Brazil Street, in Tile Hill, is another to have fallen victim to the artist scam.

And she says it is the loss of the photographs, not the money, that hurts. She said: "It makes me feel very angry. "They were professional photos that we had done to keep a record of the kids growing up.

"If it was just the money you'd maybe let it go but photos

are treasured possessions." And last week we told how Annie Shanley, of Adderley Street, Hillfields, was also duped by the conman, handing over a treasured picture of her mother Bridget McHugh, who was tragically murdered in 1961.

Fortunately, picture technicians at the Evening Telegraph were able to come to the rescue and reproduce a new picture using computer software and an old negative which we handed to Mrs Shanley.

Details of the suspected conman's name and address have been passed on to police and Sergeant Lee Burns, from Little Park Street police, said an investigation was underway.

He said: "Since the story appeared in the Telegraph we have had a number of people come forward and we are investigating.

"I would urge people not to engage in this type of contract unless you are certain of what type of person you are dealing with. Always do some checks on them before parting with money."